nykola.com | bothering people since 1981

New Ambra Projects
Contributing to the new Modesty Zone blog is one of the things I've spent my time doing the last few months. I became recently acquainted with Wendy Shalit (author of Return to Modesty) and have been very impressed with her vision (even though she bit my idea of "Know your Rebels"). She nominated me as a rebel, so I forgive her.

NBC's "The Book of Daniel" Controversy
Strapped for a hit and ratings, NBC's new primetime drama, "The Book of Daniel," which paints an intentionally over-dysfunctional picture of "Christians" (please note quotations) isn't sitting well with some. This isn't to say Christians aren't dysfunctional. To quote Lauryn Hill when confronted on her dysfunction, I would also add, "Like you aren't." More on this later this week.

Kwanzaaaaaaaa's Pagan Roots
For my thoughts on this holiday, I am referring to lengthy discourse La Shawn Barber has written the last few years on the topic. For whatever reason, speaking ill of the fairly new holiday seems to be this hot button issue with many of my black colleagues who don't even celebrate the holiday themselves.

Bono's Version of Religious Tolerance
A recent editorial on Bono's message of "co-existence" (i.e. that Christians, Muslims, etc. can all live together in harmony hogwash) is kicking up some dust with Christian-folk and I love it. I personally, have never quite "gotten" this world's obsession with Bono the humanitarian or U2. Sorry, but they weren't big around my "neighborhood," not even when Bono did a song with Kirk Franklin. Good conversation fodder.

What happens When beliefs and schoolwork collide?
Newsweek's break-off (younger) magazine "Current" published an interesting article about the consequences of conflicting worldviews in higher education. I reckon it's not just in colleges and universities these days. My brother and one of his best friends were recently overheard at the Christmas Eve dinner table saying, "Darwin is just misunderstood." We can thank their liberal high school education for that fantastic indoctrination.

More on Liberal Campus Bias
The New York Times recently published an article on a Penn State student who got fed up with her Physics professor spending too much class time berating President Bush and his administration. What's the result? A major Pennsylvania state legislative inquiry into whether or not college campuses have liberal bias. Umm, duh.

Kanye West, Crybaby
In a strange turn of events, I agree with something written in the Village Voice. Kanye West is about as genuine as it takes to uphold the public persona he's cultivating. More on that later too.

That was chilling about Bono....yikes.....I had always given him the benefit of the doubt and assumed he was a Brother in Christ but I always knew he veered into liberalism at times but that was off the deep end.......very disconcerting too be sure!!

He need's our prayers....

Point about Bono is well taken. People think tolerance means everyone's beliefs are equally valid, but I don't think that's really what tolerance means. I believe that's relativism.

About Wendy, I met her in 2000 after I wrote to her when her book was published. She was very nice, and she showed me a list she was keeping of all the girls who had written to her and at the time it made me feel better because I felt like a freak for not wanting to dress like Britney Spears.

Before Modesty Zone became a public thing her group was called the "modesty underground."

(Cute but I like the new name much better, underground makes me think of communists, not rebels.)

Anyway, so maybe you bit her rebel idea! Only joking.

But really I am glad that you gals have joined forces. If women like us stick together instead of letting people intimidate us, we can really change things.

Claire

On Bono, I agree with him. I may not accept Muslim or Jewish doctrine but who am I to tell them that theirs is invalid anymore than they are to tell me that Christianity is invalid or non equal. Faith is not fact based that is why it is called faith. You believe despite the presence of fact even though there may be certain elements that make it true to you. Tolerance means you aren't judging their choices and are letting the so-called God you believe in worry about that.

On Kwanzaa, it isn't a religious celebration though prayers are generally offered when blessing the feast. Don't practice it but don't feel the need to bash or dispariage it as fake or divisive.

On Kanye, can someone call him and tell him to get over himself? I CAN'T STAND him.

Glad to see you back, 2006 will be a critical turning point year in American history and you are going to have to stay at the forefront and keep us enlightened and up to dayte. LOL, R. Kelly did a song with Kirk Franklin too. and now he's hiding from a gay man's wife in a closet. WELCOME BACK

Yeah...ok Qusan.....I kind of thought your comment was out too lunch but just too confirm I went too your blog and yep......your a left wing looney......and no, that is not a compliment!!

You make Daily Kos almost look reasonable!!

Albertadude,

Thanks for the non compliment and the insult. I just love how self proclaimed conservatives and so-called Christians show they are Christians by their love (a li'l something I learned in my K-college Catholic education). Sheesh! How sad.